Lotus
by Scarlet Hibiscus
Summary: [hiatus] A weird ritual sends Head Auror Harry Potter back into the body of his eleven-year-old self. Unable to find a way back to his own time, and also to convince the Sorting Hat not to put him in Slytherin, his only consolation is that he's not alone in this madness. (time travel/do-over fic)
1. Chapter 1

"Are we sure this is the place?" asks the Auror in training, "It looks... not like I imagined it would look."

They are making their way through a long, brightly illuminated corridor, looking for a group of New Death Eaters that has been causing some trouble lately, and the one who spoke, one of the two rookie Aurors of the group, throws yet another glance over his shoulder, visibly relaxing. The other rookie, a pretty witch with long blonde hair, still looks like a complete nervous wreck, but even though her arm is visibly shaking, her wand is trained straight ahead and her grip is firm.

"Don't relax just because these guys don't meet up in some lurid dungeon. It takes only a second of distraction for everything to go to hell. Remember, constant vigilance!" barks the man at the front.

At the back of the group, Theodore has to make the effort not to laugh out loud. Few things are as amusing as Head Auror Harry Potter channeling his own inner Moody, mostly because it never fails to absolutely terrorize the rookies.

* * *

As they approach the end of the corridor, low unintelligible chanting fills the air, and a feeling of dread falls on Harry. Apprehending New Death Eaters is usually easy enough, which is why these raids are good to train new Aurors, but there's something ominous going on this time, and he can feel it under his skin.

When they finally reach a door, Harry silently signals for the other three to wait before taking a deep breath and throwing it open with a spell. It only takes a moment for everything to go to hell. The room is full of people wearing black robes and white masks, standing in a circle around something Harry can't see, while the floor and walls are covered in runes painted in what looks and smells like fresh blood. Before he can process what's going on, someone grabs his arm and throws him into the centre of the room, and as the chanting increases in volume and the runes glow eerily, his body suddenly feels numb and he finds himself unable to move.

* * *

He doesn't know how long his paralysis lasts until an annoying prickling sensation slowly creeps over his body, and then something pricks him more decisively on the hip. He flinches.

"Stay still, dear!" a voice chides him.

Harry Potter blinks, then blinks again because what he's seeing doesn't make sense, and then blinks a third time for good measure.

"Are you feeling alright?"

He turns his head to the side, and sees what seems to be an eleven-year-old Draco Malfoy, standing on a stool while a woman takes his measurements for his Hogwarts uniform.

"Sorry, I got distracted a moment. What were you saying?"

"I asked what House you think you'll be Sorted into."

Harry emits what he hopes is a suitably non-committal noise, distracted by the sudden impulse to pinch Draco's cheeks (all that baby fat!), but then quickly adds, "My parents were both in Gryffindor."

Draco assumes a thoughtful expression and gives a small nod. "That's not bad, I guess. I'm sure I'll be in Slytherin, my whole family was there."

Harry almost says something stupid like, _Do you remember how last Christmas party all the kids kept bugging Teddy about Hogwarts? Scorpius wants to be a Hufflepuff now,_ but he refrains, even though nothing makes sense at the moment, anyway. Instead he looks down at Madam Malkin and asks, "Our clothes are supposed to have name tags on them, can you sew those on as well?"

"Of course, dear, what's your name?"

"Harry Potter."

At that, the witch visibly startles, accidentally jamming the needle in the same exact spot as before, but on the opposite hip. Harry almost curses out loud. In his surprise, Draco slips from the stool.

* * *

After paying for the clothes and saying his goodbyes, Harry steps out of the shop into Diagon Alley and takes in the bright afternoon sky and the hustle and bustle of families doing their school shopping. He has absolutely no idea what's going on. Is it a hallucination? A dream? Everything feels real enough, though. So much for an easy mission that he was sure would be over quickly enough to go out for drinks with Theo afterwards. He sighs and accepts the ice cream Hagrid is handing him.

* * *

He spends one week at the Dursleys', planning, flipping through his school books, spoiling Hedwig rotten, and trying to act like an eleven-year-old around others. The experience is... interesting. Seeing his relatives again is weird, but at the moment Dudley is scared of him to a hilarious degree, while Petunia and Vernon are doing their best to pretend he doesn't exist.

On the eighth day he wakes up early, silently slips out of the house and heads to the park. Once there it doesn't take long to find what he's looking for. Hidden in the tall grass away from where the kids usually play, there's a snake curled up on itself and dozing off in the feeble early morning sunlight.

Harry cautiously crouches down and speaks clearly, " _Good morning."_

The snake flicks out its tongue, and after a moment replies, " _Good morning to you._ "

Harry groans.

* * *

On his way back, he revises every possible plan in his head. Being able to speak Parseltongue means he's a horcrux again, and that only complicates things. And if nobody has come looking for him yet, the chances of being miraculously saved and brought back to his own time are now nearly non-existent.

* * *

Once back at the house he gets his school trunk ready, then sits down and attempts to write a letter to Dumbledore. But explaining the situation clearly and in a believable manner seems to be impossible, and after throwing away the third attempt he gives up. He writes a note for the Dursleys instead, so that whenever Petunia comes looking for him they'll know he left for school, and there won't be any risk of her trying to contact the Headmaster thinking he's been kidnapped. His last dinner at number four, Privet Drive is the usual quiet affair, and then Harry waits in his room until night falls and the streets are empty. Peeking out of the window, he makes sure Mrs. Figg's house has no lights on, then silently drags his stuff out to the street before raising his wand.

* * *

The hot chocolate offered on the Knight Bus is surprisingly good, and Harry wonders why he never tried it before. What's more surprising is that he manages to drink the whole thing without spilling a single drop, and he wonders if he can get away with pocketing the mug so that he can check out its anti-spill charm later. Raising four kids would have been significantly easier with something this efficient.

But he's Harry Potter, law abiding citizen and (future) Head Auror, so he returns the mug before stepping out in front of the Leaky Cauldron, making sure the hood of his many-sizes-too-big hand-me-down hoodie covers the scar on his forehead. Satisfied, he enters the inn and secures a room for the remaining weeks of August using a fake name.

* * *

The following weeks are spent poring over various books that detail theories regarding time travel, but the fact that he hasn't been able to take a good look at the ritual the New Death Eaters were performing makes any kind of more specific research impossible. Harry is disconsolate at the lack of progress, but he still holds hope that he might find something useful in the Hogwarts library, and he tries not to think too hard about the possibility that nobody has even started thinking about creating that specific ritual yet.

September is only a few days away, and Harry is utterly sick of being cooped up in his rented room. He's sure that if he forces himself to read one more sentence his brain will implode, so he decides to wander Diagon Alley and do some window shopping, maybe buy some Christmas presents well in advance. Wearing some wizarding robes he bought at a second-hand shop, he easily blends in with the small crowd that frequents the Alley daily. He spots a few familiar faces doing some last minute shopping, all looking young and happy. Everything still feels surreal, and Harry dreads the inevitable moment when the reality of his situation will suddenly crash down on him.

* * *

Harry is already on the other side of the barrier when he realizes his mistake: he missed his first meeting with the Weasleys. He's tempted to go back and wait around for them, but that would definitely attract attention he doesn't want at the moment, so he hopes such a small difference won't have drastic consequences, and keeps making his way towards the Express.

It's relatively early and the platform is still half empty, mostly occupied by eager first years with their families, and after loading his trunk on the train, Harry takes his time peering out the window of his compartment. He makes a game of trying to remember names and where they'll be in about twenty years, but by the third smiling face that joins his imaginary list under the _Dead_ column his mood has soured. Sitting down, he closes his eyes and tries to enjoy the warm sunlight on his face instead. As he dozes off Harry makes a promise to himself; if he's really being given a second chance, he's going to make the most out of it and save as many people as possible.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express is ready to start moving when somebody steps inside Harry's compartment. He opens his eyes and smiles broadly. "Want to sit here?"

"Yes," squeaks out Neville Longbottom, and then almost falls on his ass when Harry makes good use of his Auror reflexes to grab Trevor as he escapes the boy's pocket with an impressive leap.

"Better close the door before your toad escapes."

"Yes! Thank you!" There's a small smile on his face now. "This is Trevor," he says, before putting his pet back where it was, "and I'm Neville Longbottom."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Harry Potter." He smiles genially and extends his hand only to grab again at Trevor, who's already mid-leap into another escape attempt.

"Trevor!"

Harry gently deposits the toad on the seat next to Neville, glad for the distraction. "Maybe he just wants to explore."

Looking unconvinced, the other boy eyes his pet. "I'm not sure toads are supposed to do that..."

"Think of how much exploring he'll be able to do at Hogwarts! I hear the castle is huge."

Neville looks utterly horrified at the prospect of having to chase his toad through the whole school, and they settle into a more or less comfortable silence.

* * *

Some time and almost a whole bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans later, the door opens and Draco Malfoy steps inside the compartment. Before he can say anything, Trevor the Explorer makes yet another break for it.

In the span of just a few seconds, Neville hides his face in his hands muttering something that sounds like "Not again," Harry shouts "Grab that toad!" and Draco's expression turns into one of complete bewilderment. In the corridor two hands secure Trevor before he reaches the floor again, and Theodore Nott steps inside, closing the door behind himself.

Harry is sure his heart stops for a moment, and it takes him a moment to let out a "Thank you, um..."

"Theodore Nott." He lets the toad leap back on the ground and extends his hand.

Harry shakes it with a smile. "Harry Potter."

Theo peers at him curiously, and Harry moves his fringe to show his scar before self-consciously trying to fix his hair and uniform a little. He wants to make a good (second) first impression.

"Cool," is Theo's succinct judgment. Then he turns to Draco. "I was looking for you, come with me a moment?"

"Alright. See you at Hogwarts, Harry."

Before they leave, Theo gives him one more curious look, and Harry has to resist the temptation to use an excuse to make the two boys stay. It's only once the door clicks shut again that he realizes Neville looks a little pale.

"You okay?"

"Um, yes. So you know Malfoy?"

He nods. "We met in Diagon Alley, but that's the only time. I'm hoping to make friends once school starts."

"Oh. I wonder if I can make any friends..." says Neville, looking down and sounding defeated.

"Well, do you want to be friends with me? Because I want to be friends with you."

The smile Neville gives him once he looks up and realizes he's serious is amazing. Harry is sure a smile like that could power a small country. They spend the remaining time on the train talking about quidditch and eating the last of the Every Flavour Beans.

* * *

Hogwarts is, if possible, even more beautiful and imposing than Harry remembers it being, and he doesn't have to fake his wonder and excitement as the boats approach the castle. Once the students are ushered inside he only half-listens to Professor McGonagall's speech about the Houses, instead trying to inconspicuously look around at the other kids, but he can't help a smile at Hermione's determined expression and Ron's rubbing his nose after the professor gives him a pointed look.

* * *

Without the anxiety he was feeling the first time around, Harry can enjoy his Sorting ceremony properly, and even huffs out a good natured laugh when Neville almost runs off with the Hat. He doesn't miss all the whispering and curious looks, though, and he lets out a small resigned sigh once his name is called and the Sorting Hat is placed on his head.

"Difficult, very difficult..."

"Um... Gryffindor, please?" asks Harry tentatively, hoping it's going to work a second time.

"Gryffindor? Yes, there's plenty of courage here, but there's also so much ambition... no, no, better be..."

"No, don't you dare!" he screams in his head, fearing what the next word out of the Hat's mouth is going to be.

"SLYTHERIN!"

An absolute silence falls over the Great Hall for a few seconds, before Neville, of all people, starts clapping, quickly followed by Hagrid, and then finally by most of the Slytherin table.

From the looks some of the upper years are giving him it's clear they have already re-branded him from Boy-Who-Lived to Future-Dark-Lord, and Harry tries not to cringe visibly as he sits down next to Draco. The blond looks incredibly pleased, though, and gives him a genuine smile that makes him think of adult Draco, and he can't help returning it before focusing his attention on the last students that need Sorting. A cold feeling settles in the pit of his stomach when Ron ends up in a different House than his own, and he wonders how difficult it will be to become friends with him again.

* * *

Even sitting at a different table, eating the delicious food of Hogwarts feels like visiting his childhood home after being away for a long time, and Harry keeps piling more food on his plate. Sometime during the third round of potatoes, he hears an amused "Hungry?" from his left. Harry turns to the side to give Blaise a grin. "Starving."

That seems to be the cue for everybody to start talking to him, and by the time the food disappears he's been introduced to more Slytherin students than he ever knew in his previous student career. He's a little disappointed that Theo doesn't say a word to him, though, just looking his way a few times from across the table.

* * *

With his stomach full and Draco close at this side, Harry makes his way to the dungeons along with the other first year Slytherins. He remembers the way to this common room, but not how it looks, so once inside he peers around with interest and almost misses the prefect explaining the way to the boys' dormitory.

The room seems bigger than the one in Gryffindor tower, so even with six beds it doesn't feel cramped at all. There are three beds per side, facing each other, and looking at the trunks that have already been brought in, Harry is glad to find that he'll be sleeping the farthest from the door, with Theo on his side and Draco across from him. There are a few half-hearted attempts at conversation, but the day's excitement has exhausted the first years and soon the only sound in the room is the heavy breathing of sleeping boys.

* * *

In his dream, Harry is standing on a huge chessboard. The night sky above him is starless, and when his eyes adjust to the darkness he sees that every piece on his side of the board is lying down. Then the moon appears from behind a cloud, and the pale light reveals that the figures on the ground are his friends and family, their eyes open but devoid of life.

"Do you really think you can do better this time?"

His head snaps up, and he sees that the other side of the chessboard is occupied by hooded figures, except for the king. Theo is standing there, _his_ Theo, adult and wearing his Auror robes, an unreadable expression on his face. Harry tries to say something and run towards him, but no words come out and with the one step he takes he accidentally kicks a still hand belonging to Ginny, who appears to be the queen of his side. That's when he realizes he's the king, and can only move one step at time. He looks up, and Theo is smiling, pulling up his sleeve to reveal a Dark Mark.

Harry wakes with a start, and barely makes it to the bathroom before he throws up.

* * *

A/N: many thanks to Wandering Me for the beta work on this chapter and to StopTalkingAtMe for the additional help, any remaining errors are all mine. The title has no purposeful link to flower language, it's simply a nod to Arashi's song. This has been posted from mobile, apologies for any possible formatting issue I haven't noticed.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: no beta other than myself for this chapter, apologies for any possible glaring error. If you are so inclined, you are welcome to leave a review or PM me if you spot anything that needs fixing.

* * *

Even though his awakening hasn't been a good one, Harry decides to make the best of being up at the crack of dawn by taking a long, warm shower. He pretends the water can wash away the nightmare from his skin, and he lets himself relax. He steps out only when his fingertips are all wrinkled and he starts getting sleepy again.

* * *

Walking back to the dorm room, feeling incredibly energized, he can't help a smile when he finds Theo already awake as well. The boy is sitting at the end of his bed, already dressed and with his book bag at his feet. Harry doesn't say anything, he gets dressed quickly, and after figuring out there'll be plenty of time to come back for his books, he turns to the other boy.

"Do you want to come to breakfast or are you waiting for them?" he asks, giving a glance to the others, all still deep asleep in their beds.

Theo seems to study him for a moment, and Harry is ready for a rejection, but then the boy stands up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"I fear there won't be much food left if I wait for them."

* * *

Harry spends the walk to the Great Hall thinking of how to start a conversation that would interested the other, but he doesn't know anything about eleven-year-old Theodore Nott. All he remembers about Theo during their school days is that the boy was a bit of a loner, and even as adults the man never liked talking about his Hogwarts years.

He's completely lost in his own thoughts, and in his distraction he doesn't realise he's leading them through various shortcuts, reaching the Great Hall in record time and almost walking towards the Gryffindor table before Theo gently grabs his arm and leads him to the Slytherin one.

Feeling a bit of an idiot, Harry doesn't immediately notice the sly grin on Theo's face. The boy sits down and grabs some food before casually commenting, "What happened to constant vigilance? You sitting at the Gryffindor table on the first day would have caused quite the scene."

Harry feels like a complete idiot now, but it's as if a switch got flipped somewhere inside him, and he suddenly feels also incredibly lighthearted.

"And here I was, already making plans for how to befriend you."

"Don't stop on my account, it might be fun to have you make all the effort this time around."

Unable to help a grin, Harry says, "All the effort you put into getting to know me didn't exactly have friendship as the end goal."

Theo doesn't get a chance to reply, because an older student sits next to him, mumbling a "G'morning." and blindly reaching for some juice. The two immediately drop their conversation, and focus on breakfast.

* * *

Soon the Great Hall starts filling with more students, many of them making detours on the way to their tables just to get a closer look at the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry really doesn't miss this, but he also learned to deal with it long ago, so he keeps a neutral expression and as soon as he's done with his food he stands up and heads back to the dungeons. After a moment, Theo is at his side.

"Did anybody follow you?" asks Harry, throwing a glance back.

Theo snickers, "Put your inner Moody at rest, we're not on the clock," then he sobers up, "Technically, we're not even Aurors any more. Or yet?"

"I'm more worried about crazy fans," he says with a grimace, remembering certain people from the first time he was at Hogwarts.

This time their conversation is interrupted by the other first year Slytherin boys, who are on their way to breakfast. Blaise gives them a curious but not particularly interested look, while Draco looks annoyed.

"You two could have waited for us."

"Sorry, Draco. We woke up early and some older students offered to show us a shortcut to the Great Hall," smoothly lies Theo.

The blond grumbles and leaves, followed by the others. Once they're out of sight, Theo leans close and whispers, "Draco is insufferable before breakfast, I had completely forgotten about it."

Once they're back in the common room, Harry picks up a class schedule from where they're piled on one of the tables. He gives it a look, and can't help a huge grin.

* * *

The Potions classroom is as cold and as unwelcoming as Harry remembers it being, and he decides to sit near the back, where hopefully he won't attract much attention. Theo takes place at the table in front of him.

As the students file into the classroom, Harry gives a small wave to Neville, who waves back with a shy smile, and then motions Draco to come to his table, in a silent request to partner up for the lesson. The boy seems surprised, but immediately joins him with a satisfied smile.

Getting on Draco's good graces and staying there is high on the list of Harry's priorities for now, because if the stupid rivalry they had the first time was bad with them being in two different Houses, having to suffer through it again while also having to live together would be incredibly trying. He doesn't trust himself to act like the adult he technically is if history starts repeating itself.

* * *

Everybody falls silent the instant Snape sets foot into the classroom, and Harry can't help but admire the man's ability to command attention and respect with his mere presence. Even as Head Auror, Harry has never managed anything like it, always too friendly with everybody.

The professor starts by taking attendance, and before long he reaches a particular name, "Harry Potter. Our new... celebrity," he raises his eyes from the parchment with the names, but, after looking at the boy, he frowns and goes back to the student list.

From his position, Theo manages to kick Harry without anybody noticing, turning his head just enough to hiss at him, "Stop looking at him like that!" before quickly looking back at the professor.

A little while later they get a chance to talk undisturbed while they're collecting ingredients from the back of the classroom.

"I think you seriously weirded him out by looking at him like he's the best thing you've ever laid eyes on."

"I can't help it! He's... well, he's _alive_. I will most likely hate him again by the end of the week, but I'm honestly happy to see him."

Theo sighs, "Try not to make him suspicious, the last thing we need is for someone to keep an eye on us."

After that, the rest of the class proceeds without problems, also thanks to a bit of wandless magic on Harry's part that prevents Seamus' cauldron from blowing up when Neville tries to add porcupine quills at the wrong time. Snape mostly avoids Harry's table, approaching it only once to compliment Draco's work.

* * *

After potions there's History of Magic with Ravenclaw, and it's the first time since arriving at Hogwarts the night before that Harry has the chance to think properly. The discovery that Theo is with him in this time travel mess makes the situation feel more real, but at the same time it also makes it more bearable, and he can't help but think _I_ _f I really have to do it all over again, at least I'm not alone._

He hasn't given up on finding a way to go back home, though, and after a glance at the class schedule he wonders if the library is already open on the first day, and if he can convince Theo to skip lunch to get a head start on researching the books at Hogwarts.

* * *

It turns out Theo has no intention of going the rest of the day without lunch, and Harry doesn't feel like facing Madam Pince alone so early, so they end up sitting next to each other at the Slytherin table with the other first years. Harry is content to keep quiet and let Draco and Pansy do most of the talking, mildly curious about the stories of their home lives.

Once done with his food, he's tempted to slip away to the Gryffindor table to talk to Neville and use it as an excuse to introduce himself to his former friends. But he figures ditching his Housemates on the first day isn't a good idea, so he sits through some more Malfoy bragging, making sure to nod and look impressed at the right moments, while distractedly playing with Theo's fingers. He doesn't actually realize he's doing it until Theo intertwines their fingers and gives his hand a squeeze, before standing up and walking out of the Great Hall.

* * *

The rest of the day is uneventful and a little boring, and soon the first day of classes is over. Harry lounges in the common room for a short while, talking with Draco, but the attention of every other student present seems to be on him, so he ends up excusing himself and finally going to the library.

There's only a couple of students there, sitting at a table near the entrance, but they're clearly more interested in each other than in their homework, and don't even seem to notice him when he walks in front of them.

Harry picks a secluded table, hidden between the wall and a tall shelf, and after leaving his bag on a chair he starts browsing the shelves, but it turns out most of what's in the 'Time Travel' section he has already bought and read during his stay at the Leaky Cauldron. Not really surprised but still a little disappointed, he grabs the only two books he hasn't checked out yet and walks back to his table. He finds Theo there, busy writing something. He peeks over his shoulder when he walks behind him, curious to see what the other is working on.

"You must be the only first year already doing homework," says Harry, adding as an afterthough, "except maybe Hermione."

"I'm writing a letter."

Harry thinks about it for a moment. "To your father?"

"Yeah, it'd be weird if I didn't write to assure him I got Sorted into Slytherin."

Theo's expression is neutral, but Harry has years of experience with him and he can feel the strained note in his voice. They never really talked about his family, and all Harry has is a vague recollection of having met his father during the war in less than happy circumstances.

For a few minutes the only sound is the scratch of the quill on parchment and the occasional page being turned, until Theo picks the conversation back up as if it never stopped, "I avoided him as much as I could since I've been back. Every time I look at him I see him in his Azkaban cell, when he was already so far gone he didn't recognize me any more," he takes a deep breath and licks his lips, as if his mouth is suddenly too dry to speak.

Harry places a hand on his arm, and feels Theo lean into it.

"Come with me to the owlery? I hope there's at least one school owl available, all the first years probably already wrote home."

"Oh! You can use Hedwig," says Harry, a little excited at the chance to introduce Theo to his beloved pet.

"Your owl?"

"My owl," he nods "Let me just... it's probably better if I just put these books away for now."

* * *

It takes until after midnight, when everybody else in the room is finally asleep, that they get a chance to talk freely for the first time without the risk of someone eavesdropping.

Theo sneaks to Harry's bed, quickly closing the curtains and casting a silencing charm on them. He finds the other clearly waiting for him, and for a few seconds they sit on the bed just staring at each other, until Theo leans forwards and places a soft kiss on Harry's lips.

When he pulls back he stretches his arms and crosses his legs, visibly more relaxed. "I've been wanting to do that all day."

Harry can't help a smile. He spent the last month completely focused on looking for a way back home and to the people he loves, but now one of those people is there with him, and the lighthearted happiness he's been feeling since morning seems to increase to the point he fears is heart might burst.

"So..." "So?" "What the hell happened?" "We travelled back in time, I guess. Kind of, at least." "I guess."

The situation is apparently still surreal enough to both of them that they share a quiet laugh.

"How do we go back?"

Something dark passes trough Theo's eyes, but before Harry can process it he's looking up, as if to concentrate on a particular thought.

"I don't know anything about time travel," a pause "Is it even possible to go back?"

Harry sighs and sits with his back against the headboard. "I used a Time Turner once, but it was very different. I have no idea if it's possible, but I'm not ready to give up," and then relates all the research he's done so far.

* * *

They end up sleeping next to each other on Harry's bed, waking up only a few minutes before the others and barely avoiding getting caught. They walk to the Great Hall with Draco, who demands they show him the shortcut they mentioned the previous morning, and Harry indulges him with a smile.

* * *

Harry's good mood lasts until mid-morning, when he walks into the Defence Against Dark Arts class for the first lesson of the year. He grits his teeth against the pain that flares up in his forehead, and it's only because Theo grabs his hand that he manages to keep his self-control and avoid doing something stupid.

He sits at the back of the classroom, keeps his eyes down and pretends to take notes the whole time. As soon as the lesson is over he literally runs out of the room.

* * *

"Taking off like that wasn't a good move, someone from Gryffindor made a rather stupid comment about how you clearly aren't interested in _fighting_ the Dark Arts."

"Someone who?"

Draco catches up with them, "It was Weasley, who else?" he then goes on to explain exactly what he thinks of the redhead.

The idea that Ron said something like that hurts, even if Harry tries to rationalize that there's no reason to take it at heart. This Ron is just a kid, he's not his best friend of almost a lifetime. This Ron doesn't know him, they never exchanged a single word, and the only thing he knows about Harry is that he's a Slytherin. But it still hurts, and he wonders if being back in the body of a eleven-year-old is affecting his judgement.

* * *

The rest of the first week of classes passes rather uneventfully. Harry spends all of his free time in the library, carefully avoiding anybody from seeing what kind of books he's picking up from the shelves. A couple of times, when he's there just to do homework, he shares a table with Hermione, but they never speak a word to each other.

But even after going through every book that has at least once chapter on time travel he's no closer to finding a way back than the he was in August.

"I give up," he declares to Theo, who's working on a Transfiguration essay, "I can get into the restricted section once I have my invisibility cloak and keep looking, but at this point I'm not sure I will find anything useful."

After one last assessing look at his essay, Theo looks up at the sky through the open windows of the library.

"Let's go out, the weather is nice."

* * *

The surface of the Black Lake is clear and immobile, the afternoon sunlight making it shimmer when reflecting on it. They walk near the shore, away from anybody else.

"If there's no way back, what would you do?" is how Theo opens the conversation.

"I'd save them," replies Harry without missing a beat.

"Who?"

"Everybody."

They walk under a patch of trees, and Theo stops, turning around to face Harry.

"It's a rather ambitious idea. We need a mission plan," says Theo, and, without waiting for a reply, continues, "We're stuck here. But we have the advantage of knowing what's going to happen, and that we are fully trained Aurors. You want to save everybody, and that's what we're going to do."

Harry stares, and suddenly the nightmare from a few days ago is on his mind, "You seem awfully sure we're stuck here."

"I'm not, but I spent the past month thinking of what I could do with a chance like this."

"How did you even come back? When those New Death Eaters grabbed me-"

"I told the other two to run and dived after you. I was afraid they were going to kill you, and acted without thinking."

"You're an idiot," he says, while thinking _I'm an idiot._ for suspecting him because of a stupid nightmare.

"Love tends to have that effect on people," replies Theo with a grin.

"Don't look so smug, Auror Nott, if I were Head Auror right now you'd be in big trouble for acting so rashly."

Theo's grin grows and he laughs a little. Harry finds it kind of charming, that youthful laughter, still a little shrill and so much different from the way he knows it will sound in the future, and he's happy he has the chance to experience it.

Then Theo starts on the way back to the castle, clearly in a good mood. "Come on, let's go back. I promised Draco I'd play chess with him, and it's no fun being finally able to consistently beat him if there's nobody there to see it."

* * *

A/N (2): I know that in canon Potions wasn't their first lesson, but after looking up a calendar of that year I realized it should have been, and it was too good of a chance to pass up.


	3. Chapter 3

Breakfast is almost over and the Great Hall is rather quiet when Harry makes his way to the Gryffindor table, Theo and Draco in tow. The only first years still there are Neville, Ron, and Hermione, the latter nose deep into a copy of _Quidditch Through The Ages_.

"Look who's here, Potter and his Slytherin gang," says Ron when he sees them approach, his voice almost a snarl.

Harry wants to laugh. Without Voldemort-induced headaches to muddle his brain, taking the redhead for what he is now, just a kid with some stupid prejudices, is easy. He used to be the same himself long ago, after all, and it would be quite hypocritical of him to get too worked up about it. So he sits down between Ron and Neville, and with a genuine smile he extends his hand towards the boy who just attempted to insult him, and who in another reality is his best friend, and says "I don't think we've ever been introduced, I'm Harry Potter."

Confusion is clear on the other's face, and for a long moment he simply stares at the offered hand, unsure about how to react. Then he slowly grabs it, and his reply sounds a little wary and a little awkward, "I'm Ron Weasley," he says shaking hands.

Draco scoffs loudly, but when Harry turns towards him he sees it's because the boy is holding Neville's Remembrall in his hand, and the smoke swirling lazily inside it has turned a deep shade of red.

"And now how am I supposed to to figure out what I'm forgetting?" asks the blond, decidedly irked.

Neville looks quite embarrassed by the fact that he has no answer to that question. Harry and Ron, still holding hands, laugh out loud.

* * *

The afternoon sun is warm, and a pleasant breeze is making the grass dance at their feet. It's the perfect weather for the first flying lesson of the year, and Harry wouldn't be able to hide his excitement even if he tried. He's so eager to be up in the air for the first time since his trip to the past that he's run all the way from the dungeons to the field, much to Theo's amusement. He knows that this time around he won't be able to join his House's Quidditch team during first year, so if he wants to get some flying done he has to make the most of Madam Hooch's class.

The lesson begins the same way as the first time, but when Neville loses control of his broom and falls, Harry casts a simple charm to absorb the shock of the hit to the ground, leaving the boy unharmed. It's a trick he picked up by necessity, due to Teddy's aptitude for falling on his face every other step. Andromeda taught it to him, and Harry has had to use it so often when his godson had been younger that he's now able to cast it silently, wandlessly, and with just a flick of his hand without even needing to look in that direction.

After the professor runs over to check if Neville is hurt, and she realizes everything is fine, the lesson resumes, without further incidents. Harry can't help showing off a little, and the class seems divided evenly between awe and jealousy.

* * *

That night, when the others are asleep and Theo is sitting on his bed, the first thing Harry says is "I miss my family."

Theo gives him a calculating look and keeps quiet, and Harry sighs, "Something made me think of Teddy today, and I realized how much I miss him, and James, and Albus, and Lily..."

He looks down at his hands, and then at Theo's, which are, in Harry's opinion, very pretty, with smooth skin and long, graceful fingers. He grabs both hands in his own and looks up, "I've got you here with me, though."

Theo smiles and kisses him.

* * *

They're lying down on the bed side by side, holding hands with their their heads close together.

"It's going to be weird, being a student again but not on the Quidditch team."

"Weirder than being a Slytherin?"

Harry huffs out a laugh, "The good thing is that now Quirrel can't try to kill me by jinxing my broom. The bad thing is... well, no Quidditch."

"And that Quirrel will try to kill you in some other way?"

"That, too," he says, but he's making a dismissive gesture with his hand. Then he stills his arm mid-air, "I think today is the day we found Fluffy."

"Who?"

"Hagrid's three-headed dog, he's the first line of defence of the Philosopher Stone. We need to figure out what to do about it, by the way."

Theo turns to the side and props his head up, now looking down at Harry, "What happened to it in the, uh, original timeline? All the unauthorized biographies about your life either gloss over it or make something up."

"It got destroyed. I always felt a little bad about it, actually, but I guess if it hadn't happened, Voldemort would have tried to get his hands on it again," he says, looking up at at Theo.

"What if we let him have it? The faster he gets a body back, the faster we can kill him."

Harry thinks about it for a moment, "It's better if we take care of the horcruxes first, it'll be easier to do it while there are no active Death Eaters. Maybe... maybe we could try to get Quirrel to stay, that way we know where Voldemort is."

"It'd be useful, but..."

"Yeah, we can't let Voldemort run around Hogwarts more than strictly necessary."

They are silent for a while, and Harry has his eyes closed when Theo says "You know, if I had to rank all the creatures I've seen Hagrid care for over the years, a three-headed dog named Fluffy doesn't even make it to the top ten."

There's a smile on Harry's lips when he falls asleep.

* * *

He's standing on a huge chessboard again, this time at the centre of it. There is no moon in the sky, only a myriad of stars, but they shine so bring they illuminate the whole sky and the ground.

Harry looks around, and he notices two other figures on the chessboard, standing on opposite sides. He can't tell if they're staring at each other or at himself, but something inside him tells him he's supposed to pick a side to play for, as if an actual chess game is going to take place.

He squints his eyes, and can finally make out that the figure on his right is Ginny, dressed in an elaborated white wedding robe, her hair seemingly glowing under the light of the stars, and at the top of her head the crown of a queen. He turns to the other side, and sees that it's Theo standing there, wearing black Auror robes and holding a crown in his hands. Suddenly the man shifts his face a little, and he's now undoubtedly staring at Harry, before opening his mouth.

"This time you will have to make a choice."

Harry tries to say something, but no sound comes out of his mouth, and the harder he tries, the darker the atmosphere becomes. Before he knows it, he blinks and finds himself lying in his bed alone, the light coming from the enchanted window indicating that it's already morning.

* * *

Without Quidditch training and with no need to spend much time studying, Harry finds himself with a lot of free time. He starts visiting Hagrid weekly, sometimes going alone, sometimes bringing Theo or Neville with him, and the half-giant is as friendly as always. Harry is incredibly happy that even now their friendship is as easy as in the original timeline, and often stays until dinner time playing with Fang while Hagrid works.

One time, Harry finds Ron and Hermione arguing outside a classroom after lessons are over, and he invites the redhead to Hagrid's hut. The boy accepts immediately, and that seems to annoy Hermione, who clearly wanted to continue the discussion, but Harry turns towards her and invites her as well, with the excuse that "Of course Ron's friend can come as well."

Being alone with them is weird, and as they make their way out of the castle he tries to remember a time before they were all friends, but it's been so long Harry has no clear memory of it. He wonders if not with him, they could at least become friends with each other in this life, but with no great adventures in their future to bring them closer, Harry is afraid it will undoubtedly take them longer to grow up enough to see the merits of the other.

* * *

"You haven't slept in your bed once since the start of the year."

"Wrong, the first night I slept there."

Harry smiles, because he doesn't mind at all that Theo sneaks in his bed and stays there. It's actually quite nice, being able to sleep in the same bed every night.

"The house elves are going to figure out the bed isn't being used."

"I always make it look as if I slept there. It would be quite awkward if they reported it to a teacher that I sleep somewhere else every night."

"That's very smart! You should think of becoming an Auror," says Harry in mock surprise.

"I'll take it into consideration," replies Theo seriously, "after I help vanquish a Dark Lord they'll probably beg me to do it."

Harry hums, thinking for a moment, "Ideally we'll manage it without anybody even knowing he was ever coming back, but I admit it might be difficult. Especially because we'll have to wait for him to make a move before doing anything, or we risk changing what's going to happen to the point we won't be able to predict it."

"There go my plans to get rid of him by summer time, and spend the next six years in total relax," says Theo sounding resigned, "I admit I was being a little too optimistic."

"I'm definitely not living through another seven years like the old ones, don't worry. We just need to have some patience before striking."

"Do we wait until the end of the year to take care of Quirrel? We'll be able to move more freely once Voldemort is driven away from Hogwarts, but if we're not careful we might attract unwanted attention."

For a while Harry is deep in thought, then starts speaking slowly, still processing ideas in his head, "When I get the Cloak on Christmas, I'm going to use it to get the Maraurder's Map from Fred and George, since they should be staying at Hogwarts. The Mirror of Erised isn't in place yet at that time, though, and I have no idea where the Stone is being kept in the meantime."

"Isn't Quirrel going to try to steal it at Halloween? I thought that's the reason he let a troll loose in the castle."

"Yes, but I suspect Dubledore has the Stone for now. I doubt he left it lying on the ground before hiding it in the Mirror."

"So there's no reason to stop Quirrel on Halloween, we can let him try to get it. Let things happen like in the original timeline, that way we know there's no risk for the students, except the troll, for the rest of the year. And then we drive Voldemort away at the end of the year."

"That's the best plan of action for now. Then, next year, we can destroy the two horcruxes that will be in the castle."

"What about the others? Do you know where they all are at this time? We can get to them during the summer," Theo gives Harry a hard look, "I mean, you're going to ditch the muggles, right?"

Harry is unsure, and closes his eyes. If he could, he wouldn't see the Dursleys ever again, but he can't just disappear and never come back, because he knows Petunia would contact Dumbledore. He needs to convince her that he's found another permanent accommodation, and that she doesn't need to concern herself with him ever again. He has plenty of time to come up with something, though, so he opens his eyes and nods, "Yeah... yeah, no muggles."

Theo nods as well, looking satisfied.

* * *

Potions lessons are a curious affair for Harry. It's the end of October and Snape is still almost completely ignoring him, except at the beginning of class, when he assigns him to a different partner every time, in what Harry suspects is an effort to prove that he has no skill and all his results are to attribute to whoever he's working with that day. Harry can't deny that he doesn't actively participate in most potion making, because he considers it almost cheating to prepare first year potions with his experience, but curiously enough the professor never comments on the level of his participation.

Half of the time Harry still catches himself staring at Snape at inopportune moments. Like with some others, two months aren't nearly enough to wear off his happiness at seeing someone alive after more than ten years of having to live with their death.

"You _really_ need to stop looking at him like that," says Theo one day, as they walk out of the classroom.

Harry, acting as if he didn't hear, says instead "I hope this time we will both be more civil to each other, but I'm starting to think the fact that I'm my father's son isn't the only problem."

"There's also the fact that he honestly hates teaching, you mean."

"Well... yeah. I guess he really does it just for Dumbledore's protection."

"Hopefully in a few years there will be no reason for it any more, and he can retire to some dark, cold dungeon, to brew incredibly complicated potions all day long," replies Theo, "and before you say anything, my father is a Potions Master, I know what I'm talking about."

* * *

On Halloween morning, Harry wakes up feeling unsettled for reasons he can't understand clearly.

He wishes he could bring flowers to his parents' graves like he's done for years now, and he's so distraught he forgets a book on his bed, and to fetch it he ends up being late for class. Nothing happens during the rest of the day, but he's still distracted enough that more than one person notices and points it out.

At dinner he hasn't touched any food yet when Quirrel runs into the Great Hall all the way to the head table to warn Dumbledore of the troll, and it's only when students start panicking that he realizes Hermione isn't at the Gryffindor table. He quickly scans the Hall twice hoping to see her somewhere, but to no avail.

There's still chaos, and he runs quickly and unnoticed to Neville before Dumbledore manages to get everybody's attention, ordering prefects to lead students to their common room.

"Neville!" he whispers, scaring the boy even more, "Where is Hermione?"

"I... I don't know. Someone said something mean to her earlier, and... and I haven't seen her since."

Harry grits his teeth, and curses under his breath. He was foolish to think he had averted the troll incident just by forcing Ron and Hermione to interact a few times. He had earnestly hoped that if they were a little acquainted with each other at this point, Ron would hold his tongue and avoid insulting her, at least in this particular day.

"I'm going to go looking for her."

"I'm coming with you!" says Neville, looking incredibly pale and surprised at his own words.

Harry is just as surprised, and it shows on his face.

"What are you two waiting for? They'll notice us if we don't hurry up," hisses Theo, appearing behind Harry.

"Are you sure, Neville?" asks Harry, and the chubby boy nods, clearly too nervous to speak.

* * *

The trio manages to walk unnoticed between the other Gryffindor students, and then with a group of Hufflepuffs for long enough to slip away into a small secondary corridor without anybody noticing them.

Deep inside, Harry is a little nervous. It's always dangerous to bring someone who isn't trained along, and remembering how close Hermione was to being hurt the first time, he's afraid this time they won't get to her in time. They almost get caught by Snape, who's hurrying to check the Stone, and it's only thanks to Theo that they avoid him.

Only a moment later they see the troll, and Neville lets out a pitiful wail and grabs Harry's clothes from behind, shaking so much it's a miracle he's still standing on his own feet. The beast is already stepping inside the girls' bathroom, and Harry immediately gestures to Theo to advance, but before he can make it to the door, Hermione's screaming voice reaches them.

Harry considers the possible options for a second, and then without turning around he grabs one of Neville's wrists and orders him, "Come on, run!"

Half-dragging the boy, he makes it inside the bathroom in time to see Theo disarming the troll with a spell. Hermione is standing in a corner, her back to the wall and her face red from crying and for the fear.

"Use the club to knock it out!" says Harry, thinking of how the situation was solved the first time, and as Theo follows his indication he lets go of Neville and dashes towards Hermione, dragging her to safety before the troll blacks out and falls heavily on the ground, where she was standing.

Then he turns to the two Gryffindors, "The teachers are coming, not a word about me and Theo being here," he says authoritatively, with a tone he hasn't used since his last Auror mission. They nod in understanding, and Harry and Theo quickly hide in one of the stalls, casting a powerful disillusionment charm on themselves, and only a few seconds later some teachers barge into the bathroom.

When professor McGonagall asks what happened, Hermione says, "I went looking for the troll because I thought I knew how to deal with it... I read a lot about them, you see... and Neville came with me because he was worried..."

"Well, Miss Granger, that was an incredibly foolish thing to do. But you did admirably in actually stopping the troll... this time you won't lose any points, but make sure nothing like this happens ever again. Clear?"

"Clear," reply both Hermione and Neville, sounding incredibly relieved.

* * *

A/N: no beta, feel free to point out anything that needs fixing. And if you made it to the end of the chapter, a review, no matter how short, would also be incredibly nice!


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